Wednesday, March 12, 2008 1 more kidnap try in N. Cotabato school By Malu Cadelina Manar Correspondent
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- A public school in a town in North Cotabato was deserted for one day when parents and guardians rushed to fetch their children before classes ended after hearing a report that a black Toyota van tried to snatch a Grade Two pupil, Monday morning.
The seven-year-old girl identified only as "Bai" told reporters that a lady, wearing white hospital uniform, who alighted from the van tried to snatch her while she was waiting for her uncle outside Marbel Elementary School in Barangay Marbel, Matalam town around 10:30 a.m. Monday.
Bai even showed bruises on her right hand, which she said she got after hitting the school's steel gate when she squeezed out of the lady's grip.
Bai was waiting for her uncle, Rojas Bacalanan, councilman of Barangay Marbel and also president of the Parents Teachers Community Association (PTCA) of Marbel Elementary School, when the attempted abduction took place.
Witnesses saw a black Toyota van with plate number BMM 507 and an old model of a white pick-up that appeared to be the backup. The pick-up was only identified with the plate's last three numbers 486, according to Bacalanan.
Inspector Jerson Birrey, Matalam police chief, said the vehicles proceeded to Barangay Salvacion, a remote village in Matalam.
The road can lead to Kidapawan City's outskirts or to President Roxas, a hinterland town.
Bacalanan said parents panicked when they heard the reports. "None of the children returned school on that day despite the urgent calls made by the school officials," he said.
Senior Superintendent Lester Camba, Cotabato provincial police director, has already ordered a thorough probe on the case -- the second since last week.
On March 6, the driver of a white van tried to snatch three school children of the Marciano Mancera Memorial Elementary School in Barangay Balindog here.
"We're still looking for motives here. Why would they target kids? What's in the kids, anyway?" Camba told radio station dxND here.
Earlier, text messages had circulated in the city saying that three vehicles -- black Toyota van, white pick-up, and green van, with backup motorcycles, are plying the Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat route looking for their possible kidnap victims.
"At this time, we have yet to get information from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as to the identities of the owners of those vehicles. We've alerted all our units on this case," said Camba.
